The Palmer House

 You know when you walk by a window and you see a sign and a wine glass sitting below it? 

 

 You KNOW it's a message.  

 

A message sent just to you.

Luring you in.... 

 

If you know me, then you know what all these signs mean. 

If you don't know me, well I bet you wish you did! 😁 

 

I saw the sign!! 

 

Clear as daylight and it lured and lured and lured me in....

Let me take you a few steps back....especially for those of you who don't know me.

I love to travel and  I LOVE to walk. So when the opportunity arises for me to go somehwere, in this case Chicago (THANKS to my my wondeful hubby) I jump at it.

This particular day I walked (I walked 8 miles in case you are curious) and while walking I came across The Palmer House with the above banner and wine glass below it.

Well of course I was lured!!

You might ask ...what is so special of The Palmer House.

Let me give you some background before moving on.

"The story of downtown Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton is one of romance and undeniable charm.

Potter Palmer was a Chicago business magnate—well-known for a variety of endeavors, including his significant role in the development of downtown Chicago’s iconic State Street.

Bertha Honoré Palmer, 23 years Potter’s junior, was a wealthy socialite who also had a drive to learn and succeed.

An introduction by Potter’s former business partner, Marshall Field, sparked a romance—and eventual engagement—between Potter and Bertha that led to perhaps one of the most extravagant wedding gifts of all time – Palmer House. It was a grand Chicago Hotel—one destined to take its place among the most luxurious hotels in Chicago and beyond.

However, only 13 days after its grand opening, the Palmer House fell victim to the Great Chicago Fire. But that didn’t deter Potter. Determined to rebuild his hotel, Potter secured a $1.7 million loan–negotiated on his signature alone. On November 8, 1873, the new Palmer House welcomed its first guests, marking the opening of what would become the nation’s longest continually operating hotel."

"Shortly after befriending Claude Monet in France, Bertha Palmer began decorating the Palmer House with paintings and other pieces inspired by her French heritage. She eventually accumulated the largest collection of impressionist art outside of France. The Palmer House was bedecked with garnet-draped chandeliers, Louis Comfort Tiffany masterpieces, and a breath taking ceiling fresco by French painter Louis Pierre Rigal. The fresco was described by columnist George Will as “a wonderful protest of romance against the everydayness of life.” 

 "By the turn of the century, the Palmer House had become Chicago’s liveliest social center, hosting a long list of prominent figures—including those ranging from U.S. presidents to Charles Dickens to Oscar Wilde.

In 1933, the Empire Dining Room of Palmer House was converted into an entertainment epicentre and supper club. It hosted legendary entertainers, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte, Louis Armstrong, and Liberac."

In recent years the historic, Palmer House has undergone a $170 million renovation to ensure that it includes all of the conveniences and comforts required by its 21st century guests while also preserving the hotel's significant history.

"The Palmer House was the city's first hotel with elevators, and the first hotel with electric light bulbs and telephones in the guest rooms. Although the hotel has been dubbed the longest continuously operating hotel in North America, it closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and reopened on June 17, 2021"  

 

"In the months leading up to reopening day, the team at Palmer House vacuumed over 4 miles of carpet, changed 10,000 light bulbs, and for the first time, filled 14,600 gallons of water into the new swimming pool.” 

Therefor , you can understand why the banner and wine glass lured me... 

 

I chose to walk around and click. 

On my way out I came across these stairs....

Naturally, I had to go up, which led me to Potter's....

If you haven't figure it out by now, Potter's is a hamburger joint named after the Palmer House founder, Potter Palmer. Believe me it is not your regular hamburger joint, denoted by the leather seats.

 The restaurant was closed at the time hence, I ventured back down.

 And so with the descent comes the end of our tour of the Palmer House Hotel. It is definitely a sight to be seen and experienced in person.

 A little trivia for those who relish in such things....

Palmer house was the first to......

1) the first fireproof hotel

2) the first to employ the vertical steam lift

3) the first hotel to use the lightbulb and telephone

And the most important FIRST:

Palmer House is the birthplace of the original chocolate fudge brownie

(Photo courtesy of Palmer House Hilton)

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UIC Campus

 

 "The University of Illinois Chicago traces its origins to several private health colleges that were founded in Chicago during the 19th century.

In the 20th century, new campuses were built in Chicago and later joined together to form a comprehensive learning community. 

After the war, and after the wave of returning veterans seeking education benefits under the G.I. Bill had passed through, demand for a public university in Chicago remained high. The university made plans to create a permanent, degree-granting campus in the Chicago area.

The site was a 100-acre parcel at the junction of Greektown and Little Italy. To accommodate a planned student body of 32,000 in such a small area, famed Chicago architect Walter Netsch arrayed the campus buildings in concentric rings, like a droplet of water.

Within five years of the campus’s opening – a period during which it was the fastest growing campus in the country – enrollment grew from 5,000 to 18,000 and almost every department offered graduate degrees. Befitting the location of the campus at a crossroads of immigration, many of the students were first in their families to attend college – as are many of UIC’s students today."

In the last three decades, UIC has transformed itself into one of the top 65 research universities in the United States.

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